Okay, Okay, we are among friends here.  I have gotten emails from
MMD'ers and they are addressed to Dave, Doug and other "D" names.  I
will tell you the story.  I have always been called by my middle name,
Lynn.  Now in the south most Lynns are men.  Women use an "e" on the
end.  Also in the south middle names are trotted out and USED.  In the
north, most Lynns are female even without the "e".  For decades I got
mail addressed to Ms. Lynn so some years ago I changed all my business
correspondence to my initials D.L. this ended most of the Ms. titles.
So there you have it.  I am D.L. in all print and am called Lynn only
by my friends and people I have met and to whom I have introduced
myself.

So the north and south are still very different.  In the north they
keep their eccentric people hidden in attics and institutions. In the
south, we trot them out and show them off.  Perhaps that is why some
feel the south is more interesting.  Now I am in Missouri and here
they don't know whether they are a southern or northern state.  Even
in the "War between the States" they were divided on that.

D.L. Bullock
http://www.thepianoworld.com/
St. Louis

 [ D.L., this is very interesting.  My first name is Jody.  A common
 [ man's nickname in the deep south (for Joseph, I believe).  Its my
 [ given name, not a nickname.  Jodi and Jodie are ALWAYS female.  Jody
 [ is gender ambiguous.  Nonetheless, all junk mail I get, and much
 [ computer generated mail from origins that should know better, is is
 [ addressed to me as Ms.   I'm a guy.  I figured after president Jimmy
 [ Carter's press secretary, Mr. Jody Powell, that people outside of
 [ the deep south would get a clue.  Nope!  Mostly I don't let it bother
 [ me any more, but I do let my friends and acquaintances know that
 [ spelling my name Jodi or Jodie is not acceptable  ;-)    -- Jody